We hopped a bus North to Cairns driven by Peter Brady, yes this was his name. We have been really busy the last couple of days. We went SKYDIVING! Somehow we thought that jumping out of a plane a 14,000 ft was a good idea. We went white water rafting where Ryan got a fat lip from the back of our helmet. We also went Scuba on the Great Barrier Reef. All this in only 3 days. We have a couple of much needed days to relax before we leave this country.
Three days of sailing, snorkeling, bush walks and relaxation! We got upgraded for a cramped dorm room to a suite, the only room on the schooner with windows. The weather was perfect, except we only had enough wind to sail on the last day. Snorkeling was unbelievable, we swam with a giant turtle. We saw clown fish, sting ray, clams and tons of other sea life. Ryan has some photos he will upload soon!
The food was all prepared by Matty the cook and it was excellent. We were not allowed to wear any sort of foot wear as it was a timber boat. The crew like Ryan and I so much they invited us out for a cold one after we returned. They said that they don't usually do this.
Last weekend we went camping on the white sand island of Fraser. We joined a group of 8 and rented a fully equipped jeep. Driving the jeep on the sand is much like driving in the snow so Ryan didn't have any problems when he gave it a go. Some of the roads through the island were a bit rough though, I will be happy not to be in a bumpy jeep ever again. The camping was fun, we cook food on the BBQ, we drank and got to know our new friends. The beaches were amazing! We saw wild dingos and there were lots of bugs. The island had many fresh water lakes. The water was crystal clear and the white sand beaches were beautiful. The best part was the stars, it was indescribable. It was like the planetarium, from the horizon of the sea to the tops of the trees, the sky was filled with stars. We chilled on the beach at night, listened to the surf and stared at the sky.
We are now in Airlie staying at Beaches hostel awaiting our 3 day sailing trip. Our hostel has a pool, a bar and bistro and is a 2 minute walk to the beach. We actually got up and went running this morning, yes, Ryan came too. It was short and hot.
More updates and photos when we return from sailing!
We will create a new blog soon, in the mean time check out the new photos!